Sadly, not everyone is born with the confidence gene. For many of us, self-deprecation is our shield of choice, and the idea of standing tall, being assertive and claiming what we want? That’s scarier than the scriptwriting from Batman & Robin…

*shudder*

So my friend, if you’re in need of a confidence boost, or just tips on how to be your best badass self, here are some much-needed inspirational lessons from your favourite DC Heroes:

1. Rise above the ridicule

Okay, we need to talk about Aquaman for a second.

Let’s just say he’s come a long way since Superfriends…
It’s not a secret that Aquaman didn’t get much respect, at least among mainstream audiences… After all, when you find yourself as a continual punchline on Robot Chicken, you’re bound to be the brunt of many jokes.

We’ve all been there – as somebody’s punchline, whether it was innocent teasing or more severe forms of bullying. While ridicule can really take a toll on one’s confidence, we say: be like Aquaman – rise above the jokes, become a better, more badass version of yourself and then see who’s laughing.

Here’s how you can apply this lesson:

Focus on improving yourself and doing things that build self-worth. This can be simple things like working out, learning a new hobby, trying new social activities, etc.

Understand why previous jokes or ridicule bothered you. Did they hit on a certain insecurity that you didn’t want to admit? Decide why you couldn’t just take these things “as a joke” and work on addressing it

Think big picture. Do those naysayers/jokesters lose any sleep over what they’ve said to you? Probably not. Recognize that you’ve already lost precious time/mental energy thinking these negative thoughts, so they don’t deserve to waste any more of your precious time.

Keep your chin up, and you’ll be strutting the streets like Jason Momoa in no time.

2. Use your past trauma as fodder for strength

Let’s face it – Batman had a pretty traumatizing childhood. I mean, we all know what happened to his parents outside that theatre…

And while Mr. Wayne could have easily grown up to be a hermit, eating Ben & Jerry’s by the fistful in his swanky mansion, he didn’t.

Instead, he devoted his life to confronting injustice and ridding his city of evil. You know, while runnin’ round in a bat costume. As you do. This is so important, and highlights a key lesson brought to us by the Batman franchise:

Say it with me: “… So we can learn to pick ourselves up!!”

In other words, to become the strongest, most confident versions of ourselves, we need to embrace our falls, and see them as learning opportunities. In life, we’ll have terrible things happen to us… That’s a fact, but realizing that you’ll get through these obstacles and using them to fuel your growth is what builds true inner strength and confidence.

Here’s how you can apply this lesson:

Think about some of the negative experiences in your past that you see as roadblocks to your confidence. Were you bullied when you were younger? Rejected by your crush? Jot these down.

From these experiences, reflect on what you learned, and how you became better because of them. Did school bullies help you develop a radar for who you could/couldn’t trust? Did your crush’s rejection help you get over them, and realize there were other fish in the sea? Force yourself to identify the positives. By writing this all out, you’re able to see how these experiences have helped you grow, and this will pave the way for your ability to move on.

3. Harness your unique differences to become a badass

So, Superman was a pretty clear outsider from the start.

I mean, #alien, amirite?

And while we sadly aren’t blessed with godly strength or an ability to look unrecognizable w/o glasses, I’m sure we’re all uniquely different in our own ways. Rather than let these differences alienate us as outsiders, we should be looking at them as the unique value proposition we offer to the world. If we’re able to turn our unique qualities into something that positively differentiates us, we begin to feel more comfortable in our own skin and then of course, more confident!

Here’s how you can apply this lesson:

Brainstorm some of your unique qualities/skills. What separates you from the pack? What are some things that make you different? Write them down, even crazy ones.

Reflect on how you can turn these qualities/skills into something valuable or useful. For instance, we at Loading Player Two have always been weirdly good at coming up with quirky date ideas. This earned us some “weirdo” labels among our friend group, but we’ve channelled that creativity into creating this site – a resource for geeks just like us. You can do the same with just about any skill… Let’s say you have a crazy memory for obscure comic book facts – you can make yourself a valuable part of a trivia team, or just contribute cool facts to conversations. The key is to think of ways that your unique qualities empower, rather than alienate you.

4. Strive constantly for improvement

Barry Allen may be the fastest man alive, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to continually build on his skills. If you’re fans of the CW’s Flash, you’ll know Barry is pretty obsessed with getting faster, doing better and finding more ways to help those around him.

This constant appetite for improvement is something that we should all strive for. Personal development helps us feel like we’re moving forward in life, which heightens our sense of self-worth and therefore our confidence. SO…

Here’s how you can apply this lesson:

Think about what makes you feel strong and confident. Is it knowledge (e.g. knowing cool stuff)? Or maybe it’s skill (e.g. being good at something)? Maybe something as simple as looking fit? Identify what makes you tick and feel good about yourself!

Create an action plan and goals for you to develop these things. If it’s knowledge for instance, enrol in a new class. Or if it’s being fit, make a gym plan for yourself. What’s important here is that you know what areas you want to improve in, and have a concrete plan for getting there.

5. Never let failure stop you

Can we please remind you that this movie existed:

For many of us, this kind of failure would have led us to quit…

Not Ryan Reynolds though.

In fact, 5 years after that trainwreck movie, we were blessed with the wondrous one-liners of a certain Mr. Pool, who has forever shattered the fourth wall and stolen our hearts in the process.

Sure, this point pertains a little more to our main man Ryan than it does to the Green Lantern as a superhero, but the lesson is still important: failures happen, and when they do, they can shake our confidence big time. However, regardless of whether this failure is professional (as in our work/school lives) or social (as in getting turned down or broken up with), the important thing is that we don’t let it break us.

Becoming resilient to failure is a key ingredient to true confidence.

So, in conclusion, we want to leave you with these 5 key takeaways:

Be like Aquaman – rise above ridicule to become the most badass version of yourself

Be like Batman – use the negative experiences from your past to build strength and grow

Be like Superman – harness what makes you an outsider and turn it into a unique value proposition that you offer to the world

Be like the Flash – be in the constant pursuit of self-improvement

Be like Ryan Reynolds (err… the Green Lantern) – don’t let failure stop you from being an epic superhero

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